1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector comprising a female connector member and a male connector member and, more particularly, to a connector capable of detecting whether or not a male connector member is completely fitted in a fitting hood section of a female connector member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,244 has proposed a connector 1 capable of detecting imperfect fitting (i.e., half-fitting), as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the attached drawings. In these FIGS. 1 through 3, the connector 1 comprises a female connector member 3 and a male connector member 7 which is fitted in a fitting hood section 5 formed in the female connector member 3.
An engaging section 9 is formed inside the fitting hood section 5 of the female connector member 3. The engaging section 9 is engaged with an engaging projection 13 of a lock arm 11 formed on the male connector member 7 under a condition that the male connector member 7 is fitted in the female connector member 3, such that the fitted condition is held or maintained therebetween.
Further, a plurality of slits 15 (15a, 15b, 15c and 15d), each of which has a predetermined width and which constitute a bar code, are formed, in spaced relation to one another, in one side of the fitting hood section 5 of the female connector member 3. A black paint is applied to a side surface 7a of the male connector member 7, which faces toward the slits 15, to display a bar code in accordance with the width of each of the slits 15. The bar code is detected by a bar-code scanner 21 (refer to FIG. 1B).
Furthermore, a plurality of terminal-accommodating chambers (not shown) are formed in a housing section 17 of the female connector member 3. A plurality of male-terminal metal parts (not shown) are accommodated respectively in the terminal-accommodating chambers. The male-terminal metal parts have their respective forward end portions which project into the fitting hood section 5.
On the other hand, the male connector member 7 has a connector body 19 which is formed with a plurality of terminal-accommodating chambers. A plurality of female-terminal metal parts (not shown) are accommodated respectively in the terminal-accommodating chambers. Under a condition that the male connector member 7 is fitted in the fitting hood section 5 of the female connector member 3, the male-terminal metal parts are fitted respectively in the female-terminal metal parts so as to be electrically connected thereto.
In the connector 1 constructed as described above, a method for detecting a fitted condition which judges whether or not the female connector member 3 and the male connector member 7 are completely fitted in each other, is as follows.
First, as shown in FIG. 1A, under a condition that the male connector member 7 is not fitted in the fitting hood section 5, there are no output waveforms 23 of the bar-code scanner 21 as illustrated in FIG. 1B. In this case, it is detected that the male connector member 7 and the female connector member 3 are not fitted in each other.
Next, when the slits 15 are scanned by the bar-code scanner 21 under a condition that the male connector member 7 is completely fitted in the fitting hood section 5, the output waveforms 23 are formed correspondingly to the width of each of the slits 15 formed in the fitting hood section 5 as shown in FIG. 2B. In the case where the waveforms 23 are outputted from the bar-code scanner 21, it is detected that the male connector member 7 is completely fitted in the fitting hood section 5 of the female connector member 3.
Moreover, in the case where fitting of the connector members 3 and 7 in each other is imperfect, as shown in FIG. 3A, the light from the scanner passes through a gap s between a deepest portion within the fitting hood section 5 and the forward end of the male connector member 7, as shown in FIG. 3B. Accordingly, the output waveforms of the bar-code scanner 21 have no output in this gap s. For this reason, it is possible to detect that the male connector section 7 is inserted imperfectly in the fitting hood section 5.
However, the female connector member 3 and the male connector member 7 have their respective slight dimensional errors at molding. In spite of the fact that the male connector member 7 is completely fitted in the fitting hood section 5, a gap can occur between a joining surface of the male connector member 7 and a joining surface of the fitting hood section 5, similarly to the case illustrated in FIG. 3B. For this reason, the light from the bar-code scanner passes through the gap, so that there is no output of a reflected light in this gap. Accordingly, the following problem arises. That is, in spite of the fact that the male connector member 7 is completely fitted in the female connector member 3, it is erroneously detected that the male connector member 7 and the female connector member 3 are under the imperfect fitted condition.